Empowered by Data

Chapter OneIf You Want a Data Culture, Build a Community

When you picked up this book, you were likely looking for an alternative solution to building your data culture, for suggestions beyond selecting the “right metrics” and building a good relationship with your chief data officer.

There are many reports out there about building a data-driven culture for your enterprise, plenty of “10 steps” lists and surveys resulting in recommendations. Those suggestions can be helpful in establishing a data culture, but the missing ingredient is the human element.

Having worked with thousands of analysts across the world and through my conversations with organizations, I have found that the most effective way of establishing a data culture within your business is to start by building a community.

And that is what this book will deliver for you: thoughts and ideas behind analytics communities. We will explore what they are, what they can look like, how they operate within organizations, and how you can set up your own community. After a few chapters, you will have enough information to get started. You will read about people who have started data communities within their organizations and what made their communities successful. You can take the suggested activities, events, and initiatives in the second part of the book, combine them with the templates provided, and start building your community today.

Why Do Organizations Aim to Become Data-Driven?

In Gartner's Fourth Annual Chief Data ...